Hi, Im Jonny and if you could just listen to my story and respond it would mean so much.

I had my wisdom teeth pulled out 5 months ago in febuary and since then my face wouldnt go down it looked swollen on both sides making me so uncomfortable and embarrased made me feel ugly, and it would always spazm and i went to a doctor about this and he says that i might have tmj so he sent me to a kiropracter the kiropracter says.. wow that feels like a huge marble i have a lot of hard balls in my jaw, and he says it must had been a stretched muscle from where he pulled so hard on my jaw getting my teeth out and it made me have a stretched muscle that were pulling on the joints so he would begin to use his this metal object that clicked really hard to try to break it down so it goes back into its natural form, he did this about 3 times a week then up 2 times a week and he also made me get lidicane shots everytime i went and i have got a steriod and cortisone shot for the muscle each month ive been there 2 months. it has made progress, but he made me go 2 a dentist and this was advanced denistry of charlotte nc, and have them make me a nite guard. well i went in there and told him my whole situation and he said that he knew what the problem was when he looked at my teeth that my bite wasnt right and that it codinsates and makes the muscle spaz out because my bite is not right he also took pictures,my muscles dont know where to go so they get locked up and argrovated so he recommened me to dr.paquette a orthodontist and made me a nite guard. i went to the orthdontist and he took pictures everything of my bite he says that bite alignment can not to do that to my muscles it can not spaz out your muscles, he said my bite is correct just some teeth go in and some go out he says that it just just a pulled muscles and it takes time use heat.even though he did recommend braces for my teeth,,....... so after seeing him i told dr.bowman the dentist in charlotte and he said he cant believe he said that but he said i should still get braces and that if not i should wear these things on my molars until i do get braches to connect my bite. because he thinks thats what is causing the muscles spazm and weird look of it . so i was thinking of getting a second opionion from a oral surgeon and maybe getting some xrays of my joints or muscle or something, i dont know, what should i ask for .or should i just go see what he suggest's. or should i see a tmj speacilist that does orthodontics , any body who could give me some advice would be great, please , ive been dealing with this to long its ruining my life and appearance i feel hopeless.......

hello Jonny,
The wisdom teeth may have cause your "tmj." What other symptoms do you have besides the muscle spasms? clicking when you open or close? TMJ treatment is very controversial because there is no standard in treating it. Every dentist can practically call him/herself a tmj specialist by taking a course or two. And every dentist treats differently.
You have to look for a FJO dentist. You can find a dentist in your area on the net. But don't rely on the site. Not every FJO dentist is honest and truthful. And not everyone is experienced in treating tmj patients. So the best advice i can give is go to a dentist you can trust and ask him/her if she can recommend you to a FJO dentist. Or just go around and ask. But it's really important that you find a dentist is honest. I'm having a hard time believing what a dentist tells me. I've been lied to several times. One is right up there with the best of them. And educate yourself before doing anything.
If you do see a dentist, ask for a tomogram. Do some search on Gelb 4/7. My guess is your muscles are in spasm because they're not within the Gelb 4/7 vincinity. Hope this helps.

Hey goodtimes, thanks for the advice, when finding a FJO dentist what should i do first i was wondering about a neuromuscular consultation because i was looking threw other threads and it said they went to a neuromuscular consultation http://www.healthboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=108113
and they seem to do alot of test and where could i find one of those or should i even need that and i should probally be more likely on a splint then on a niteguard. i think i should find A FJO dentist and explain to him my situation tell him about the gelb 4/7 vincinity and a tomograph and any other scans or mri's should i look for, the thing is, is i dont have pain but my muscles spazm and it makes my jaw have this ugly look like it might be muscle swelling or something but i hate it, and in the morning my mouth is so hard to open(sometimes), and my jaw will jerk sometimes. and the muscle seems tight and hard like it might be pulling out my joints? anymore adivce would be great and do you know any really good FJO dentist's in charlotte nc or around the area. and do you know where i could order or get a very good tens unit./ thanks so much

Hello Jonny,
If you're seeing a good FJO dentist, he/she will give you a thorought examination which must include a tomogram. Without it, the doctor is practically working blind. You can also ask the doctor to give you the #'s of the last 5 or 6 patients he/she has successfully treated. If he/she is not willing them to you, you leave. The doctor may give you a doc/patient confidentiality excuse but why wouldn't they want to help a fellow tmj sufferer?
Neuromuscular dentists can also cure this condition. These dentists use the TENS unit to relax your muscles. I guess once they're relaxed and not in spasm, the doc give you a splint so that your jaw stays that way and your muscles are not in spasm. Then it's the crowns. TENS is not used for treatment. It is for diagnosing purposes only.
Again, the only way to protect yourself is by being educated about this condition.

thanks again goodtimes and ace brook, another i called my dentist which is dr.bowman(charlotte) and he said the first step its gettin my bite together correctly and using my mouthguard until i feel more comfortable and to relieve the spazms and things. i asked him about a FJO dentist and he said the best thing would me to do is go to another orthodontist that he is going to recommened and work on my bite and i mentioned splint "wouldnt that be more better if they got my muscle in gelb 4/7 vincity.(BECAUSE HE HAS A STRONG BELIEF STATING MY MUSCLES ARE IN SPAZM AND OUT THERE BECAUSE MY RIGHT SIDE OF MY TEETH DO NOT ALINE TOGETHER CORRECTLY AND IT LIKE A UNDSTABLE TABLE ONE SIDE IS GOING TO TILT AND THATS WHY MY MUSCLES ARE ALL SPAZED OUT . he says why would i go get a splent if im going ahead and getting braces because the splent moves your bite,jaw, so should i get braces first or go and consult a FJO dentisty or Neuromuscular, i would be nervous because how could i be able to tell where my muscle feels best for them to make the splint -i wouldnt want them to make it and spend money and it mess me up more,. should i just go ahead and get braces or try to find a good FJO dentist that is very expeirenced and see his opionion or should i just go directly to geting my bite fixed, and im questioning in my mind should i get my muscles stable and joints before fixing my bite but the doctor says i have this problem because of my bite, so any help you could offer with this would relieve a lot of stress off of me. thanks alot

Hello Jonny,
You definitely should not go and get braces first (traditional ones). I don't know the extend of your bad bite but moving the jaw first to the gelb 4/7 vincinity first and then most likelt with braces to pull the posterior teeth up to create a comfortable bite.
You're able to tell if your muscles are in rest by using a TENS unit. FJO dentist does this i believe by moving your jaw down and forward to the Gelb 4/7. And in that position, your muscles are not in spasm and they make a splint for you.